There is an old adage, attributed to Benjamin Franklin, that goes, “Nothing is certain in life except death and taxes.” And while we may have some small say in when and how we pay our taxes. Tomorrow is never promised to us. A somewhat less scary prospect perhaps to those of us who believe death isn’t the end. Personally I place my faith in a Jewish carpenter from Nazareth. But regardless of age, creed, or wealth there is an appointed time for all of us.
And this past July 3rd (2023) marked, not only the 160th anniversary of the finally day of fighting in Gettysburg during the American civil war. But also the anniversary of the only civilian causality of the Battle of Gettysburg. A young lady named Mary Virginia Wade. Better known as “Jennie” Wade. Who was shot while kneading dough in the kitchen of her sister Georgia’s house. A house which you can visit and tour in Gettysburg at the Jennie Wade House.
I must admit that the day I went to the Jennie Wade House, I wasn’t really in the mood to do so. Visiting the spot where a 20 year old woman had died exactly 160 years before, wasn’t the way I wanted to spend the 20th birthday of my own daughter. While I’m not superstitious about such things or worried that it was some type of bad mojo to do so. Touring the home that day felt a little weird to me. Though perhaps thinking of my own child as I walked around, made it more real to me.
That said… If you’re a history buff who finds themselves in Gettysburg, PA. And if you’re not lugging around to heavy a load of oxygen yet. And if taking the stairs doesn’t bring you to a screeching halt. Then the Jennie Wade House is worth the visit. With the added benefit for those of us with lung issues, that the tour is relativity short and can be done at one’s own pace.
The tour starts in the gift shop next door. From there guests are taken to the kitchen door of the Jennie Wade House, told the story of Jennie Wade, given a pamphlet, let into the home, and left to explore on your own. Though the website does mention guided tours “Coming soon.” So maybe future visits will have the option for a guide.
There is no burying the lede on this tour. Right off the bat, visitors are presented with the fateful bullet punctured doors that failed to save young Jennie’s life. As well as the spot where she was stuck in the back by a stray mini ball, while kneading biscuit dough. Truth or myth it would later be claimed she was baking for Union shoulders. And her family would be given a Civil War pension for her actions.
Interestingly enough the Jennie Wade House is an example of an early American duplex. And the tour takes visitors to the upstairs of the side Jennie’s relatives rented, through a hole blown through the dividing wall by a confederate shell, into the neighbors half of the house, down another set of stairs, and out the door on the opposite side. The same path Union soldiers used to evacuate Jennie’s family.
Upon exiting the house, visitors still have one more space within… or should I say “beneath,” to visit. The house’s cellar. Where Union soldiers took the Wade family for safety. Along with the body of young Jennie. Where she would lay until her hasty burial in the home’s backyard. Before being moved and reburied six months later, only a short walk’s distance away, in Gettysburg’s Evergreen Cemetery.
The cellar isn’t to incredibly creepy. Even with the pretend corpse of Jennie Wade laying in the corner. Apparently, as with pretty much every other place else in Gettysburg, this cellar is a part of ghost tours. But I didn’t see anything or feel any cold spots. Though they would have been a nice break from the 90+ degree weather. And I failed to capture any orbs (floating dust) or apparitions (lens smudges) in my photos.
But maybe you’ll be more lucky than me. Or less… depending on you disposition toward such things. A hundred and sixty years is along time to have been stuck hanging around any place. Let alone the place you died. That’s a fate I definitely would not wish for my 20 year old daughter… or Jennie either for that matter. Even if it means fewer chills for paranormal hunters.
Jennie Wade House, 548 Baltimore St, Gettysburg, PA, United States
Borrowed Breaths 
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